Manipulation
by CinderellaAtTheBall
Summary: How much manipulation can there BE in a game of spin the bottle? When Lily and James are playing, trust me, there's a lot. TWO endings for your enjoyment! Rated T just in case.


**CatB: Hey, I used to be CrazyPinkFlamingo. If you want to know why I'm not any more, check out my profile. It's all there. Anyway, this story is probably not the most original, but it began taking root in my head a few days ago and wouldn't leave, so I decided to share it with you all. Enjoy! Hurray! This story was still on here in my documents section so I can put it up again right away. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own _anything _even _remotely_ related to Harry Potter…**

Lily Evans had been sitting with her friends, talking and laughing, when suddenly, James Potter had sauntered up to her.

"Hey, Evans," he said confidently.

"Hey, Potter," she said coldly.

"There's gonna be a party tonight, boys dorm. See you there?" He shook the hair out of his eyes.

"Don't count on it." Lily was irritated by James' attempts to catch her attention, she hated guys like that.

"Aww, Evans, don't be like that," he whined.

"Aww, Potter," she said, imitating his tone. "Grow up!" she shot at him.

"I'll grow up when you agree to come to the party," James said.

Lily considered this for a moment.

"Who else will be there?" she asked.

James shrugged. "Just a few other Gryffindors."

Lily narrowed her eyes. "Like who?"

"Oh, you know," he said, waving his hand vaguely. "Sirius, Remus, Peter…" he trailed off at the look on her face. "What's the matter, Evans?"

"Sirius Black?" Lily said slowly. "You want me to come to a party where Sirius Black will be in attendance? He's gonna like, get drunk and hit on every girl there!"

Her friends sniggered.

"Of course, he'll probably hit on every guy there as well!" one of them giggled.

"And don't even get me started on Peter, who creeps me out and-" She suddenly felt suspicious. "Is there any _particular _reason why you want me there…James?" She said this as sweetly as she could.

James brightened at her tone, thinking she was flirting with him.

"Well, Evans, it's funny you should ask, since we were planning on playing spin-the-bottle," he said, his voice low and husky.

Instead of being impressed, Lily looked disgusted.

"I don't have time for child's play, Potter," she said frostily. "I, unlike _some_," she glared pointedly at him, "have to study."

"C'mon, Evans, lighten up a bit. Take some time off, you know, have fun."

"It would seem that you and I have very different ideas of what is fun." She began to walk away.

"Lily!" James was desperate. "Look, if you come to the party, I swear I'll-"

It was at this moment that Sirius walked up next to him.

"So, mate, are you succeeding in seducing the little lady?" he whispered loudly.

James tried not to blush.

"Shut up!" he hissed.

Lily hadn't heard their exchange; she had rolled her eyes at Sirius' appearance and turned back to her friends. The girls were whispering to Lily, occasionally shooting glancing at James or Sirius. Finally, she faced James.

"Okay," she said, taking a deep breath. "I have generously decided to go to this party. That means I'll miss a night of studying, so if I fail my O.W.L.S. you'll have that on your conscience."

James grinned. "That's great! What changed your mind?"

"My friends…think I ought to give you a chance." Lily said this carefully so he wouldn't misunderstand her intentions. Then she grinned briefly. "Besides, my friends all want to know what Sirius thinks of them."

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That was why that very evening, Lily found herself in the Gryffindor boys' dormitory, playing spin-the-bottle. She had been having fun up until the game had started, chatting mainly with Remus, the only friend in James' clique that she could stand.

The first few turns weren't too bad, as the bottle didn't land on her. Everyone had said it would be strictly girl-boy kissing, but that didn't seem to be the case. Already there had been a few boy-boy and girl-girl pairings. When it was her turn, she spun the bottle forcefully, and unfortunately, it landed on Sirius. She stifled a groan and followed him to the little closet.

"James is gonna be pissed about this, but…" Sirius pulled her to him roughly, pressing his lips to hers with tremendous force. Lily moaned, not out of enjoyment, but because she was in pain. Sirius was much heavier than she'd anticipated. She pulled away, gasping.

"I-I think that's…enough," she said, breathing deeply. Sirius looked disappointed.

"We've only just begun," he protested.

Lily slapped him across the face in response. "Some friend you are."

"Ow!" he cried. "Evans!"

Lily smirked and opened the closet door. The first thing she saw was James, glaring at Sirius. When James noticed Sirius holding his cheek, he seemed to figure out what Lily had done and gave her the thumbs-up. She merely smiled back politely.

Next, it was Peter's turn, and the bottle landed on a girl named Lana Watkins, who was known for beating up guys. Peter gulped, and Lily couldn't help but feel sorry for him, as much as she disliked him. They weren't in the closet for very long, to no one's amazement.

James' turn came, and when he spun the bottle, Lily didn't need to hold her breath and hope it wasn't her. She had a way to _guarantee _that she wasn't his next kissing partner. She was jinxing the bottle so that it wouldn't land on her. She knew that was kind of cheating, but if it prevented her from having to kiss that arrogant git, she would do it. The lucky (or unlucky) person who would get to enter the closet with James was…Remus. Lily actually liked him, and felt quite sorry for him. He had his head held high, trying to ignore the whistles and catcalls, but Lily could tell it was getting to him. She didn't know what to do, so she allowed poor Remus to go in. They emerged a minute later, both rather red in the face, and Lily couldn't help but wonder what had happened in there.

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A few rounds later, Lily had kissed almost every guy there, except James, and James had kissed most of the girls, except Lily. James noticed this right away, and he resolved to find out why they hadn't kissed yet. When his turn came yet again, he spun the bottle and carefully watched Lily, making sure she didn't see what he was doing. He saw her move her wand, and mutter something while barely moving her lips. He then realized that she had been jinxing the bottle so that it wouldn't land on her! He couldn't believe she hated him so much that she would stoop to cheating. After all, he was a Quidditch star, which gained him instant fame and glory. But Lily was different. Maybe that's why he liked her so much. She didn't care for him at all. After thinking for a minute, he had an idea.

"Can I spin again?" he asked.

Nobody objected, so he spun again. This time, he pulled out his wand discreetly and muttered a counter curse to Lily's spell, trying to move his lips as little as she did. His counter curse was strong enough to overpower hers, and the bottle finally landed on her. Sirius cheered.

"Good job, mate!" He thumped him on the back. James swept his hair out of his face and grinned as he was congratulated. Lily was astounded that the bottle had actually landed on her. She thought she had everything under control. She walked calmly into the closet, however. Once inside, James bent down to look into her eyes.

"I know what you were doing, Evans?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I was the one who did the counter curse."

She gasped, forgetting to pretend. "_You_ were the one who-"

"Yeah. Did you really not want to kiss me that badly? Because if that's true, you could have just told me."

"You wouldn't have listened," she said sadly.

"I guess not," he admitted sheepishly. "But I would if you were to say it now."

"I don't believe you."

"Fine. Do you want me to kiss you?"

"No."

"Okay, I won't." He moved forward and put his hand on the doorknob.

"James, wait." It was one of the first times she had ever called him James. He paused. "You're more mature than I gave you credit for. I know how badly you want to kiss me."

"You do?" he asked. "How?"

"I see it in your eyes. Besides, I want to kiss you just as badly."

James was surprised, to say the least. "What?!" was his clever response.

Lily looked amused. "Don't make me repeat myself." And leaned in to kiss him. He reacted by putting his hands on her waist and pulling her closer. It took them a few minutes to untangle themselves after the kiss was over, so of course everyone was wondering what they were doing in there. When they walked out, holding hands, everyone knew…

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ALTERNATE ENDING:

The lucky (or unlucky) person who would get to enter the closet with James was…Remus. Lily actually liked him, and felt quite sorry for him. He had his head held high, trying to ignore the whistles and catcalls, but Lily could tell it was getting to him. She didn't know what to do. She had been sitting next to Remus, so that gave her an idea. She used a bit of magic to turn the bottle slightly.

"Actually, guys, it landed on me," she announced. Everyone turned to look at her, James had a glint of excitement in his eyes. She groaned inwardly as she realized the consequences of her actions. When Remus gave her a look of relief, however, she knew it was all worth it. She walked quickly to the closet and pulled the door shut. She just wanted to get this over with. But before she could start kissing him, James began to talk.

"I know what you did, Evans," he said.

She blinked innocently. "What?"

"I know the bottle landed on Remus, and I saw you move it. Why?" he asked quietly.

"You should have seen the look on his face," Lily replied. "He was so embarrassed and hurt, but trying so hard not to show it. I-I just had to do something."

"Even if it meant kissing a guy you hate?" James raised his eyebrows.

"I-I don't _hate _you," Lily said. "I just…think you're rather full of it, that's all."

James laughed bitterly. "That doesn't change the fact that we're in a closet supposedly kissing. Or that we _would_ be kissing, if it weren't for the fact that you don't like me."

Lily sighed. "Well, I guess I'll kiss you." She started to lean towards him.

"Wait."

She stopped. "What?"

"I can't believe you're doing this…for Remus."

"I'm doing it for you, too. I know how badly you want to kiss me."

Without saying anything, James closed the distance between their lips with a single movement. He pressed her gently to his chest for a moment, a contrast to Sirius and his rough kiss.

James pulled away. "I-thank you," he said breathlessly.

"For?" Lily looked confused.

"For letting me kiss you."

"Oh, it was nothing."

"It meant so much to me. You're nice…Lily. Much nicer than I deserve. If I can't make you happy, I hope you find someone who does."

"Okay," Lily whispered.

They walked out of the closet smiling.

**CPF: So there you go, the story with both endings. Which did you like better? What did you think of the characters, or the story in general? Tell me in a review! I know, it was a bit redundant on the "closet" and "bottle" stuff. **


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